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U.K.’s Cameron Appeals to the Undecided Ahead of EU Referendum

Prime minister urges people who feel conflicted to choose ‘security and safety’

British Prime Minister David Cameron delivering a speech on the European Union at the headquarters of O2 in Slough, west of London, on Tuesday. A referendum will be held in June to decide Britain's future relationship with the EU.
Photo:
European Pressphoto Agency

LONDON—British Prime Minister
David Cameron
made a direct appeal to members of the public who are undecided ahead of the upcoming referendum on European Union membership during a speech Tuesday, as he also fended off questions about the rift between him and London’s mayor over the issue.

Speaking to employees of British cellphone operator O2 in Slough, a commuter town outside of London, Mr. Cameron said a lot of people in the U.K. feel “quite conflicted,” and that “in all of us there is a questioning about what is the right answer for Britain.”

“I would say to anyone who is finding it hard to make up your mind and you feel it is a very balanced decision, I would say come down on the side of security and safety and certainty. Because in this reformed European Union we know what we get” in terms of jobs and prosperity, he said.

In his speech, the prime minister for the first time explicitly addressed publicly the decision Sunday by London Mayor
Boris Johnson
, a fellow Conservative lawmaker, to come out in support of Britain’s departure from the EU. The move by the mayor, which he said was because he believes the EU is eroding Britain’s sovereignty, underscores deep divisions within Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party over the issue of Europe.

Mr. Cameron on Tuesday said he was disappointed about Mr. Johnson’s decision but that the U.K. could expect to see a passionate debate. “I have huge respect for Boris as a politician. He’s a great friend of mine, he is a fantastic mayor of London,” Mr. Cameron said. “But on this issue, I think he’s got it wrong and I think he’s reached the wrong conclusion.”

A referendum on whether the U.K. should stay in the 28-member bloc or leave is due to take place in late June. Britons are divided over Europe, with many saying they welcome the economic benefits of being part of the world’s largest trading bloc, but are concerned about the EU’s influence over U.K. laws and the costs of membership. Recent opinion polls show generally more people in favor of remaining, though often with a narrow gap, and at times with those supporting the U.K.’s exit in the lead.

O2, the mobile phone company, was among almost 200 firms that came out in support of Britain’s membership of the EU in a letter published by the Times of London on Monday night. The letter marked a significant ramp up in businesses’ intervention in the debate after Downing Street encouraged them to publicly weigh in.

Separately, the government said Tuesday that the civil service wouldn’t be able to support ministers campaigning against the government’s position in the referendum. Mr. Cameron has said ministers are free to take whichever side they want in the referendum and over the weekend a handful came out publicly saying they would oppose the prime minister. The government Tuesday also said ministerial special advisers—civil servants who also have party political commitments—may support the leave campaign but only in their own time and outside office hours, and must notify the government in advance.